20 Comments
May 26, 2022Liked by Geary Johansen

Beat us harder and then blame us for all the woes of government tyranny. The more you treat people like rats, the more they'll act like rats. The more you make them dependent, the more they become dependent. The more you speak of fear, the more fearful they become.

I think the poor individual is lost because too many cannot understand the obvious morality and peaceful world of "live and let live" compared to "force and obey." The latter will always have worse outcomes.

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Great poem. I memorized it years ago for my dad for his birthday or Father’s Day. He’s a Yeats fan and we’ve been to Yeats’ tower.

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May 27, 2022Liked by Geary Johansen

It was always inevitable that like would seek out like and that 'thinking fast' would win out in an enhanced communication environment. That this was glossed over at the time was also inevitable given our propensity to be positive about change without balancing it with caution.

There are many factors acting here not just one or two. This complexity is beyond the capacity of most minds to comprehend and they just end up seizing on one factor which fits their prejudices. The information bubble kicks in and dissonance ensures that the complexity of a situation is lost.

The other element that really impacts is nostalgia but there's a trap. It's false. The belief in lost utopias is illusory - they never existed. We can basically say that things are better than they ever were but there's still a long way to go.

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May 27, 2022Liked by Geary Johansen

Hi Geary, our politicians, at least in the last 30 years, have never had the well-being of the population in mind. The problem is that can we really vote for them, in or out?, i do not think so, i think that the EU would stonewall any politicians elected that would not have been "pre-approved by them", same applies to USA and the social media giants. Can it be that elections are just part of the circus?, really and truly i think i live in the film "V for Vendetta" in the moment they are watching the news on TV. Further to that a big chunk of our population continues voting for a continuation of the circus and following the advise of the circus, i think it was Winston that said "the best argument against democracy is half an hour talk with the average voter".

I think we need a completely overhaul of the education. I think that a pre-requisite for presenting oneself for an election would be to have paid taxes for at least 15 years in the private field, be it as a worker, an entrepreneur or a self-employed, public servants would be excluded from holding office. I would also request that for having the right to vote people should have paid taxes for at least 10 years in the private industry and 10 in the public service.

Is that fair? I do not enter in that discussion, i think we will do much better.

That taxes should have a purpose, so i tax this to pay that (no more and no less) and clear link between what is being paid at each point and the use of it. If that would happen i think people would have no issue in paying many things, and will offer full resistance for other things.

Nice weekend

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May 26, 2022Liked by Geary Johansen

Great essay - Oilman

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Mutual systemic mistrust is a novel idea, with plausibility right now. Also enjoyed the observation that many of us are gleefully exploring this moment as if it's some kind of entertainment.

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